On my Embarq billing statement for the month of February, my wife noticed our bill was higher than normal. There was an extra page with the billing party named as USBI. It stated that we were being billed for a Mainstree Platinum Plan and universal service fund dated Feb 16. We did not order anything from Mainstreet Telephone Company and could not understand why we were being billed. My wife tried calling the contact number but they were closed until Monday. Saturday morning I got on the computer and logged on to www.Mainstreet.com which has no connection to Mainstreet Telephone Company. There I found a link to telephone charges from Mainstreet Telephone company. From there I found another link to the FCC where I found detailed information on Mainstreet, Tralee and Ridley Telephone Companies. I can't remember where I found the link to Rip-off but I sure am glad that I did.
I then called Embarq and explained my billing problem and they were more than helpfull by blocking third party billing and 900 numbers from my phone bills. They could not remove the current charges from Mainstreet though. They advised me to call USBI which I did. When USBI answered I was automaticly transfered to Mainstreet. There I was put on hold for a long period of time. When I finally got through to an agent called John I told him that the charges were fraudulent and that I had called Embarq and they would be blocking them and all other third party companies from my phone service. He then said he would remove the charges from my bill from Embarq. We will find out next month I guess. I called my long distance service provider and had them put a pick freeze on my account also.
I am now in the process of filing complaint forms to the FCC, State Attorney General, Public Utilities commission and the Better Business Bureau in the State of Minnesota. These scam companies have to be stopped. Why hasen't our government agencies done something about these companies? What about the senior citizens that pay these charges not knowing what they are for. Thanks to Rip-Off for letting me Post this article
By the way, USBI, Mainstreet, Tralee and Ridley are all the same company and they are Toll Resellers according to the FCC.
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